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Tuesday, September 6, 2011

DARCY AND (L)IZZY

Darcy and (L)izzy

You knew they were together somewhere, Darcy and his beloved.

Currently, we are doggie sitting my friend Mary's dog, Isabella or Izzy for short, while Mary's out of town - and this is the first time I've seen these two together where Darcy is not trying to herd little Izzy into some sort of straight line. Darcy is part Australian Sheep Dog, maybe, so any time poor Izzy tries to walk from Point A to Point B it's a production for Darcy.

Izzy's owner is one of the most joyful, serene people I have ever met - truly annoying. And her dog is very like her - contented, elegant, a pleasure to be around. And then there is Darcy - big, clumsy, grin like an idiot, Darcy. Like Mary's dog is very reminiscent of her, my dog is very much like me - she falls out of bed regularly and snorts food from her nose.

I call them my DARCY AND (L)IZZY. My poor baby Darcy will be developing a psychosis since she is now referred to as he all the time, because it feeds into my Darcy and Lizzy fantasy world. I have a grand kind of fantasy world which grows exponentially each day. Soon I shall be its queen.

Anyway, I'm getting off track again. What I was thinking is how similar we are to our pets, we even grow to look like them - or they grow to look like us - or do we pick pets that feel like family? Who knows, but it is very odd.

Robert Downing must have been filming Sherlock Holmes when he picked up this little number.

Grooming is so very important, as are highlights. Of the three I know which one has the more intelligent looking face. And eyebrows, lord I'd kill for eyebrows.

I am not Paris' biggest fan but she is good to animals. I have never ever met a person I could engage in conversation who did not like animals. Something about non-animal people shows in their eyes - or maybe it's the lack of fur on their pants.

You have to smile when you hold a puppy. If you don't there is something wrong with your soul.

No there is something definitely there, a connection on some unconscious level when we choose our pets. Perhaps we see ourselves in them, a more innocent version of the person we know ourselves to have become and wish we hadn't.

Or maybe it's just love, pure and simple. Your best buddy, your friend, your loyal other half, all rolled into one.

And then there are some people who just carry this thing too far.

Anyway, we won't go into cats. Cat loving is a whole different level of self degradation and would need a professional therapist to explain why anyone would put themselves through a kitten's first year of life. They are, quite literally, insane.

Hi, Im a new follower, loving the blog! Stopping by from the Wednesday Blog hop I would love to invite you to follow me back, J'S REVIEWS AND GIVEAWAYSThanks so much! have a great day!And loving the post! Too funny! I loved the pic of the lady n her poodle, lmao they do look alike lol

ORANGE COUNTY CALIFORNIA REGISTER

REVIEW BY DEE SWIFT OF DARCY AND FITZWILLIAM

Darcy and Fitzwilliam by Karen Wasylowski

I am not a particularly fanatical Austen fan, certainly not a purist, but I do like the wit of Jane Austen, and so was ready to embrace the tale of Darcy and his cousin with open arms. I was not disappointed. What impressed me most about this book was that it was the feel of Austen, but updated. It is very difficult to be funny in an Austen-esque way and still be fresh. Too often the humour doesn't properly succeed. But the impact that Austen must have had in her day is all here, in this laugh-out-loud romp through Darcy's post wedding adventures, and those of his irrepressible "brother".

I was unprepared for just how funny the book would be. The scene where Lizzie is giving birth, with Amanda's small, curious, stiffly-educated son looking on, is hilarious, and had my husband wondering why I was laughing so much. Even the servants have been wittily expanded, and the book is funny because it is so well-observed. It pokes fun at regency attitudes to women, and gently lampoons the mores and morals of the time. There is also a sense in which the English themselves are satirized, and this is refreshing, but not at all offensive.

After the initial forty or so pages of set-up the book fairly sweeps along with misunderstandings aplenty, and it is no slight volume. The characters have to be impeccably constructed for the situation comedy to work, and Karen Wasylowski has done this thoroughly, also the research on her period and The Peninsula War gives the reader just the right amount of setting.A great read, that works whether you have read any Austen or not.

REVIEWS FOR

DARCY AND FITZWILLIAM

AS SEEN IN BOTH
JANE AUSTEN'S WORLD AND IN
JANE AUSTEN TODAY

February 7, 2011

"It's intoxicating.

It's absorbing.

It's excellent..."

THE CALICO CRITIC

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Karen Wasylowski has done a fine job with these Austenian characters. She has stayed true to the original vision of their temperaments, yet brings new aspects of who they are to light. Their witty repartee is always fun, as they regularly jab at each other in non-cynical brotherly ways. Darcy and the Colonel passionately love their women, sometimes going to extremes to protect them and those they love. There is much drama in this narrative, although it doesn’t cross over into melodrama in the least.

There was more than one night when I had trouble putting the book down to go to bed!Being the men who they are, there are a few moments that are a bit PG-13 as far as language and sexual content. I mention this only for those who are particular about these issues or are considering this for young readers. Most of the bedroom material is within the confines of marriage, and Wasylowski doesn’t go overboard with frequent gratuitous moments of intimacy or colorful tirades.

Thank heavens this isn’t some tawdry bodice-ripper with blue dialog every other minute.

Darcy and Fitzwilliam was an enjoyable read. Karen provides a epilogue that occurs decades after the main story, and I think she could easily draft a sequel in the future. I readily enjoyed her treatment of these characters and hope she continues to revisit this world. Her work is page turning, humorous, maddening (Caroline!!) and touching.

This is a fine edition to the ever-growing library of Austenesque novels. It’s definitely a “bromance” worth an Austen fan’s consideration.

LINDA BANCHE REVIEW

Review: DARCY AND FITZWILLIAM: A TALE OF A GENTLEMAN AND AN OFFICER by Karen V. Wasylowski

Laugh until your sides ache and then laugh some more with Karen V. Wasylowski's delicious Darcy and Fitzwilliam: A Tale of a Gentleman and an Officer. This absorbing, fast-moving romp of a book catalogues the often hilarious ups and downs in the enduring affectionate friendship of those brothers-in-spirit, cousins Fitzwilliam Darcy and Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam.

I read this entire 481 page book in one day, laughing all the way. Ms. Wasylowski has a good ear for realistic male banter, most of it uproariously funny. The best two lines in the whole novel occur when Darcy and Fitzwilliam reminisce about their youth and the hilariously disgusting things young boys do to each other. I still laugh when I think of those lines.A truly wonderful and original take on Pride and Prejudice. I can't wait for Ms. Wasylowski's next book.

JANE AUSTEN EXAMINER

This book was a delight to read. I found the character development of Colonel Fitzwilliam particularly fascinating. Men who have seen war, especially at the grand level Wasylowski has laid out her Fitzwilliam, are hardly ever unaffected. Her portrayal of his issues and struggles are heartfelt and poignant.

It was a little heart-wrenching for me to read about Darcy’s past lover and for Elizabeth to have to deal with the reality of marrying an older man more experienced than her. I was almost angry at the author at first, but I realized what a great job she did of involving me in the storyline. I was fairly sucked in.

HISTORICAL BOOKS REVIEW

Pride and Prejudice has given contemporary writers of historical fiction an endless source of ideas. Many of these novels of possibilities are very good and honor the original classic, while others are wastebasket material. Karen V. Wasylowski has turned out one of the former, a charming and believable rendering that offers the reader a look at the men in Pride and Prejudice. Austen would no doubt welcome Darcy and Fitzwilliam, an amusing and witty interpretation.

SUITE101.C0M Review

Jane Austen Books Get a Dose of Karen V. Wasylowski

Though this is only Karen V. Wasylowski's first book, it is safe to say this author has found her voice in sequels to Jane Austen classics. One of the better additions being Karen V. Wasylowski's wit and humor. I never expected to laugh so hard as I did with Darcy and Fitzwilliam. The storyline was so engaging, the plot so thick with intensity and literary genius that I was immediately roped into the novel and ultimately emotionally invested in its outcome.